Health Care Summit Non-Sequitur

Jeffrey H. Anderson

February 26, 2010 11:19 AM

One of the great things about the health summit was getting to witness certain members' rhetorical skills and getting to hear how they think about things. One of the most revealing comments was made by Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who lamented that people whose medical bills are higher have to pay more, as this constitutes "segregating people on the basis of health." He added, "It's time to stop that kind of segregation in our country."

Surely we can all unite in opposition to the injustice that Sen. Harkin so mercifully highlights. I mean, what's next? People whose housing bills are higher could have to pay more, which would segregate them on the basis of how nice their house is (although they'd still get to live in the same neighborhood). People whose food bills are higher could have to pay more, which would segregate them on the basis of their appetite.

In all seriousness, Harkin's remarks say a lot about the liberal mindset. Having people pay their own way is apparently an injustice akin to segregating them by race or creed. Well, as Harry Reid said to Lamar Alexander, "You're entitled to your opinions...."